Article

Two New Ways That DSAG and SAP Are Staying "Tuned In"

Many DSAG members are preparing for changes in the SAP technology landscape.
You may be exploring the impact of these changes on your organization,
which makes gathering and sharing information all the more important.
Two recent announcements reflect the strength of the DSAG-SAP relationship,
and how SAP and our members stay “tuned in” to one another.

First, we are pleased to announce that
SAP has officially named Claus Heinrich, SAP AG Executive Board member,
as DSAG’s official sponsor at SAP AG. If you are looking to have
someone invested in the concerns of DSAG and its constituencies, it doesn’t
get any better than having the ear of one of SAP’s executive board
members. With a direct contact on the SAP AG Executive Board, as well
as our continued support from our sponsor at SAP Germany, CEO Michael
Kleinemeier, our members are assured that the concerns of DSAG members
are being heard.

Second, with changes in SAP’s technology,
DSAG is restructuring its largest working group to better reflect those
developments. As a result, the “Basis Working Group” is now
the “Basis & Technology Working Group.”

Why the change? As you know, in the “R/3
world,” each R/3 release was developed upon R/3 Basis technology,
and each upgrade involved the entire system, including each module. Now
R/3 Enterprise, the successor to R/3 4.6C, introduces a new core structure
based on the Web Application Server. When R/3 Enterprise is released in
early 2003, it will include e-business functionality, much of it very
familiar to SAP customers (including basic FI and HR functionality, for
example). Many of our members will start with the built-in functionality
of R/3 Enterprise, and extend it, as needed, with mySAP.com e-business
solutions based on this common platform and Web Application Server technology.
The Basis & Technology Working Group will address these changes and
the impact on our members, provide resources, and open up opportunities
for discussion.

Restructuring this group goes well beyond
a simple name change. In fact, we’ve added four Focus Groups under
Basis & Technology, to join our established Archiving and Security
Focus Groups, among others. These four new groups include Infrastructure
and Operations, Application Integration (which addresses the new SAP exchange
infrastructure, for example), Portals Technology, and a group looking
at the future of the Informix platform for SAP customers. Plans for the
working groups include Focus Days scheduled throughout the year, as well
as special sessions at our annual convention.

For more information on the Basis &
Technology Working Group or any of its Focus Groups, visit www.dsag.de.

Look for more information on the DSAG Congress, to be held September
17-18 in Dusseldorf, Germany. CUSTOMizing mySAP.com is this
year’s theme, highlighting technical information on R/3 Enterprise
and mySAP.com, integration scenarios, and much more. Attendees have
the chance to discuss their specific demands on R/3 and mySAP.com
with other DSAG members and SAP. Details on the DSAG Congress program
will be available at www.dsag.de
in the coming months.